Skip to main content
BoF Logo

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

10 Retail Archetypes of the Future

It’s increasingly difficult for brands to gain and retain traction in a crowded and competitive market. Retail futurist Doug Stephens unpacked the key to post-pandemic success at BoF VOICES.
Doug Stephens.
Doug Stephens.

Retail’s Darwinian shakeout over the last year has consolidated market power in the hands of dominant e-commerce players, like Amazon, Walmart and China’s Alibaba. But a brand, even if small, can still be mighty. The key is focus and finding a relevant niche, retail futurist Doug Stephens told BoF VOICES.

Please sign in to ensure you can read our agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice. Or get in touch at support@businessoffashion.com if you experience difficulties.

In This Article
Topics
Series

© 2026 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions

More from Retail
Analysis and advice from the front lines of the retail transformation.

The Industry That Eats Its Young

Small fashion labels have always been shortchanged by their wholesale partners. A wave of high-profile bankruptcies has turned a structural injustice into an existential crisis. There is a better way to do business, writes Imran Amed.


The Zara-Fication of John Galliano

Fashion’s enfant terrible is trading exclusivity for the mass market. Is it the ultimate fashion coup, or the final surrender of prestige?


view more
Latest News & Analysis
Unrivalled, world class journalism across fashion, luxury and beauty industries.

The Industry That Eats Its Young

Small fashion labels have always been shortchanged by their wholesale partners. A wave of high-profile bankruptcies has turned a structural injustice into an existential crisis. There is a better way to do business, writes Imran Amed.


VIEW MORE
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
CONNECT WITH US ON